Поллианна
Miss Polly
"Ofcourse,ma’am; itwasonlythatIthoughtalittlegirlheremight—mightbrightenthingsupforyou,"shefaltered.
"Thankyou,"rejoinedthelady,dryly. "Ican’tsay,however,thatIseeanyimmediateneedforthat."
"But,ofcourse,you—you’dwanther,yoursister’schild,"venturedNancy,vaguelyfeelingthatsomehowshemustprepareawelcomeforthislonelylittlestranger.
MissPollyliftedherchinhaughtily.
"Well,really,Nancy,justbecauseIhappenedtohaveasisterwhowassillyenoughtomarryandbringunnecessarychildrenintoaworldthatwasalreadyquitefullenough,Ican’tseehowIshouldparticularlyWANTtohavethecareofthemmyself. However,asIsaidbefore,IhopeIknowmyduty. Seethatyoucleanthecorners,Nancy,"shefinishedsharply,asshelefttheroom.
"Yes,ma’am,"sighedNancy,pickingupthehalf-driedpitcher—nowsocolditmustberinsedagain.
Inherownroom,MissPollytookoutoncemoretheletterwhichshehadreceivedtwodaysbeforefromthefar-awayWesterntown,andwhichhadbeensounpleasantasurprisetoher. TheletterwasaddressedtoMissPollyHarrington,Beldingsville,Vermont; anditreadasfollows:
"DearMadam:—IregrettoinformyouthattheRev.JohnWhittierdiedtwoweeksago,leavingonechild,agirlelevenyearsold.
